The Bean Curd Boxer: Tai Chi and the Noble art of Leaving Things Undone

Podcast Episode7: A Lack of Uniform-ity?

2012-03-05T11:30:00.000+01:00

In Karate and Judo, In aikido and Hapkido, in Kendo and Taekwondo there are uniforms, belts and gradings. You know where you are with a Japanese or Korean Art.

But in Tai Chi, there is nothing. No costumes, no headscarfs, no ninja styled fingerless gloves.

So why are some classes then taught by nights in white satin and others in jeans and flip-flops, and what does uniformity say about you and your class?

Find out on this weeks episode of Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk - available here or by subscribing to the new weekly podcast from your iTunes listings.

Some Years Ago....

2012-03-01T10:30:00.000+01:00

2006: We had just moved into an old tumbling down house in the barrio alto of a small town in Southern Spain. It was well over a 100 years old. No indoor plumbing, no electricity. Holes in the wall where windows should be. That sort of thing.

The crumbling-tiled roof was made up beneath from just clay and bamboo, with dangling string holding everything together. Clouds of dust accompanied us as we climbed into the attic to shoot a small film for use by the local TV station. You can still see the string and tiles in some of the shots.

This film of the Short Form was then edited and entered into a independent film makers competition in Madrid. It made it into the final, but then disappeared from view. Over the years, I managed to get hold of bits for use in images and small clips, but then last week I received this link. Luz López, the film-maker, sent me this.

When I saw it I was reminded of how much we need outsiders to contextualise what we do. Had the film been shot by a Tai Chi person, it would have focused on body weight, posture and form precision for students to learn from - accompanied by the obligatory Chinese flute music.

Instead we have something far more original, composed with the aim of transmitting intention and contrast, movement and magic...accompanied by the spellbinding sound of Sigur Ros.

So here it is for posterity. Beautiful Soundtrack, Beautifully Shot. Beautiful Memories.

Thanks Luz

IMOS Awards for 2012

2012-02-27T19:19:00.001+01:00

Yes its that time of the year again, when everyone sits on the edge of the sofa with bated breath awaiting the results of the Into Mountains and Over Streams Best Blog of 2012 award.

Well, stop chewing your nails for the wait is over! Last week the results were published on this excellent on-line Internal Arts Journal.
The superb Clouds Hands site took a well deserved top spot, followed by the Rambling Taoists. In 3rd place came the Bean Curd Boxer regiment and so on and so on. Thanks to all for including me on such impressive list.

Take a look at the complete list over at IMOS and whilst your there, browse around. There is a wealth of wisdom to be found, unlike the nonsense generally produced over here. Then again nonsense is a well loved Taoist quality and so it shouldn't' surprise anyone that it would be often found lurking between the lines of these humble posts.

Episode 6: What Does Tai Chi Mean?

2012-02-27T19:06:00.002+01:00

Talking Tai Chi: Episode 6

What does Tai Chi Mean? Why is it spelt in different ways? Why is it sometimes referred to as Tai Chi and other times as Tai Chi Chuan? And why, even after explaining all this do most people say, ¨I'm no more clearer than I was before?¨

Find out in this weeks episode of Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk. Pick up a copy here, or subscribe in iTunes.

The Lost Interview: The Invincible © Yang Lu-ch'an

2012-02-23T12:26:00.001+01:00

Peeking

So can you tell us a little about the peeking? Did you peek through the fence as history records you doing, or was is more like peeking through a gap in the gate...and how long were you peeking. Some say you peeked briefly, whilst others have you peeking for several years?

Why is everyone obsessed about the fence? Look, I was just strolling by, minding my own business when I came across a fence. I'm not perfect ok! I couldn't just Dionne Warwick could I?

Dionne Warwick...?

Walk On By...

I see. So you did Peek? You had a sly Copy and Paste on the side, so to speak.

Well, maybe I did slow down and take a quick ganders as I was passing.

You see Lu Chan, its an important issue for us Tai Chi types are like, we do like to engage in little discourse about such matters...

So I hear...so I hear. Well the truth is I cannot say any more. I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the Chens.

Invincible©

What about this Invincibility claim? At the Forbidden Palace there are many accounts of you arching your back and throwing opponents into rivers, defeating all challenges...yet not hurting a single one?

What about it? You want to make something of it?

No! I just want to clarify that you were known as Yang Lu Chan the Invincible, correct?

Maybe. What of it?

In what precise sense were you Invincible?

It depends on what you mean by Invincible?

I mean were you invincible to bullets, harpoons, junk food, Chen Style Practitioners?

Insults

Insults?

Yes, I was completely invincible to any insult. In fact I still am. Words cannot harm me. Something I feel I was unable to successfully bequeath to my followers.

But what about your name: The Invincible! Were you not aware that the title had already been usurped by the Invincible Hulk and he had had the phrase copyrighted?

No comment

More Lost Interviews can tracked down with Cheng Man Ching, Lao Tzu and David Carradine. Prepare yourself for the unexpected.

Rooting in Tai Ch: An Enquiry into its Many Meanings

2012-02-20T20:54:00.000+01:00

Episode 5 of the Talking Tai Chi Podcast with the Teapotmonk is just out and this week Im looking at the tricky art of Rooting. Now if you are Australian, you may snigger as you read this and elbow your mate in the ribs, and if you are North American you may ask: To whom am I rooting, and go directly to a wall calendar to check for the date of the next election.

But the truth is that Rooting is neither a person or an act of procreation, for the definition of rooting in Tai Chi falls outside such cultural boundaries.

In fact it has more to do with reaching out that reaching down...but I´ll say no more...you´ll just have to listen to the episode here or download your very own version in iTunes Podcast listing. Or if you want a peek at the written version of this series, then root your way through this.

Coming Out of This World

2012-02-16T12:06:00.001+01:00

Alan Watts...“We do not come into this world.

We come out of it.

As leaves from a tree.

As the ocean "waves."

As the universe "peoples."

Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe.

This fact is rarely, if ever, experienced by most individuals.

Even those who know it to be true in theory do not sense or feel it, but continue to be aware of themselves as isolated "egos" inside bags of skin.”

Want More Photo-Taosim?: Grab it here.... Horizons : Answers : Consumerism : Keeping Still : Single Whip : Slow Dogs Pause : Solitary Breath

The Concepts of Yielding and Sticking...Investigated

2012-02-14T11:11:00.002+01:00

When we try to explain what we mean by Yielding or Sticking in Tai Chi, we often send out mixed messages, reinforced by exercises that do not always clarify the meaning or application.

In this weeks Podcast: Talking Tai Chi with the Teapotmonk, we look at how to explain these ideas and how to apply them outside the walls of the training hall.

Apologies for my quiet voice, we are experiencing a Siberian Winter here in Southern Europe, and it was a miracle that I didn't cough my way through the whole Podcast. You can download for free the episode from the iTunes Podcasts or pick up a copy here.

Technology and Creativity Apps: SpringPad

2012-02-09T11:47:00.001+01:00

Each month I am doing a brief review of an App that I believe can significantly help in the organisation and planing of creative activities. I began the series some time back, with the Wu Wei of Writing, where I looked at a new writing tool for the iPad called iWriter

Later, I expanded the subject of Creative Writing and Composing and last month I looked at creating music in the classroom with Djay

Today, I am looking specifically at one app available on all platforms, and therefore all computers. Its called SpringPad and its truly a tool for research, note-taking and organizing. Its also free.

Technology for the Creative Ones.
SpringPad is available for mobile devices, laptops, desktops and tablets. It functions effortlessly by synchronising all your material immediately across all devices. I can make a list of useful videos to research, tag them or even embed them for later viewing. I can jot down an idea, or take a photo on my phone, pick up my iPad later on to further explor the idea, then sit down at my desktop another day to use that material for a book, class preparation or any other project.

If I get an email from someone about a project I'm working on....then I can simply forward it to springit@springpadit.com and slot it into an existing category. No more searching my email lists for outstanding things to do.

You can share projects and notebooks with other people, set up alerts or reminders on one platform, and pick it up on your phone. You can create checklists, tasks, notes, events and tag everything.

So how do I use this?

Well, as you know by now, as the Bean Curd Boxer I'm a mobile tech user. In fact I´m whats called a TechNomad. Sometimes I'm sitting down at a desk, other times Im lounging in a cafe-bar with a tablet...but a lot of the time I'm connected only via my phone. So when I'm planning a specific class for a specific group... I can create a list wherever I am, edit it on any device at any time and access it again on my way to the class. I can write up my podcast notes, store vocabulary lists (useful when teaching in another language), keep date-related notes as to a class progress and set reminders for the following sessions activities with tagged links to specific exercises stored in other notebooks.

And did I say its all free?

SpringPad is available on your appropriate store, whether it be Apple, Amazon, or Android and for any desktop interface at http://springpadit.com

Episode 3: What to Look for in a Class

2012-02-06T18:53:00.001+01:00

Episode 3 of Talking Tai Chi is now available from iTunes or from here.

This week, the Teapotmonk focuses on what to look for in a class from the perspective of a new student. What a class usually hopefully consists of, and what a class hopefully does not.

Listen in, and let me know what you think.

Oh and...

As a number of you have requested the reprint of the Posture Photo Guide to the Short Form, I´m re-releasing it today in its new and up-dated version. You can download a free copy from here. It contains almost 50 pages and over 300 photos with quotes, advice and tips about learning. Enjoy and as it has Creative Commons Copyright, feel free to share it with anyone you wish.

Talking Tai Chi: The New Weekly Podcast

2012-01-31T12:07:00.001+01:00

I know, I know - The Times, They are a Changin´

Consequently... its easier to read these posts in your RSS reader. Or just keep an eye on the Twitter stream (see link on the right), the FB page, Google Plus, Linkedin, Path or one of a thousand other networks that can keep you updated without ever having to visit this blog.

Its a sign of the times. Despite these new ways of ingesting material, many of you do drop by regularly, and I appreciate that. I like to think that on the blog you can enjoy the full flavor of the post, see it in its original form and context and maybe even leave a comment. But others I know like to get their weekly ration from a distance. Maybe its safer that way, who knows.

As someone who likes to explore all techno-directions, and someone who has tinkered with video podcasts before now...Im introducing today the new weekly:

Talking Tai Chi Podcast.

Each week another issue, another subject, another insight into one area or another of this noble art. Different form the blog posts that appear here, these short audio files explore key concepts in the practice and study of Tai Chi, starting with the very basic question: Why Practice at all?

Episode 1 is the initial introduction to the idea behind the podcast. One Year of Podcasts - One Episode a Week.

Episode 2 is the first in the series - Why Practice Tai Chi? Instead of trying to define it, lets look at why people are taking it up?

What I like about podcasts are that they can be downloaded or streamed when it suits you best. To be listened to whilst ploughing through the washing-up, cleaning the fridge or just dawdling on your way to a full-contact Qi-Gong bout.

The Choice is yours. So...what are you still doing here!

Go and subscribe to the feed over at the ever popular iTunes
Or for the iTunes haters amongst you (I understand, I do honestly its a seriously bloated piece of software) you can listen to it at Posterous
Or even at Feedburner should you feel so inclined.

Never miss out on your weekly ration of Bean Curd again.

Straight Talking: Stop Using Cliches in Your Tai Chi

2012-01-19T12:11:00.000+01:00

Tell Me Something:
What do we mean when we bander these words around the Internet? What are the hidden meanings behind such over-used phrases? Why do so many schools lazily employ the same tired expressions? Lets look at a few examples...

1. Only I teach the Real Thing:
Translation: Like Coca Cola, I claim to offer something exclusive, when in fact its pretty much the same as everything else. But with good publicity it means a certain number of people fall for it.

2. Only I offer an Authentic Teaching style:
Translation: I have studied the old texts and can faithfully reproduce their relevance for anyone still living in an18th Century warring Asian Country.

3. Only My school has Unbroken Tradition:
Translation: Only my school has failed to question the value or practicality of a single technique in the last 300 years. Evolution...no thank you.

Sounds familiar?
Sounds perhaps... a bit too familiar?

As a student of history, it is perhaps useful here to remember Douglas Wiles´ comments in the classic text Yang Family Secret Transmissions:

¨Abandon all hope ye who search for certainty...there is not a single detail that is not the subject of bitter scholarly debate¨

It is so tempting to think of the world in simple terms. But things are not always so simple, not so black and white. What are often claimed as objective truths often turn out to be subjective opinions - with their own social, political or financial agenda. And personally, I would find such claims merely amusing were it not for the thousands of innovative and progressive teachers and schools that are actively deconstructing such confining definitions and purposely engaging in the task of reconstructing the internal arts for the 21st century.

So remember...What is real, authentic and true depends on who you are, what you seek and to whom you ask. Remember that last one.

Cut it out and paste it up on the dojo wall.

And don't just listen to me either. I believe a Stance is not just about the position of your legs. Its about adopting postures on many different levels. But, as I say, thats just me. Listen to yourself. Start with where you are. Ask yourself where you want to go, and how you want to travel the path that lies ahead. For - as the cliche goes - it is not about the arrival, its all about the journey.

Got another perspective?
Twitter me on BeancurdBoxer

Enjoy the video.

Apps That Make Teaching Simpler.

2012-01-12T12:11:00.002+01:00

As many of you know, I´m a bit of a follower of all things that begin with the letter T. I dont know what it is about this letter, but its always there, wherever I look.

Teaching
Tai Chi
Taoism
Tortilla
Tofu (Bean Curd)
Technology

Tortillas I cover elsewhere. Teaching and Tai Chi you will find regularly on this blog. But Technology I touch upon only occasionally (Check out other posts on Taoism and Technology under the Choose Your Weapon section to the right of this article)

So Today (there you go, another ¨T¨) I´m beginning a brief series on Technology and Simplicity for the Creative Types amongst you, focusing primarily on the use of mobile technology.

Technology and Simplicity
Certain technological advances have changed my teaching practices over the last few years, one of which was an acquisition a smart phone some years back. The combination of such portability with incredible applications make it a superb teaching aid, for use with video-work, photography, class-planning, play-list organising, and timing. Most of the app´s are available to all smart phones via the Android Store or the Apple App Store.

Other weeks I´ll focus on other uses of technology in the class room, but today I'm going to focus on just one app relating to music. If you're not convinced about using music in your class then read this earlier post. You may just find it interesting.

Djay
Ever wanted to extend that Doves track just a few minutes more so that you could fit the entire Sword-Form in without that empty space at the end? What about that Claude Challe song - if you could only find a longer version you could use it for the Form class without having to change track in the middle of the Fair Ladies section.

And if only you could speed up, just a bit, that ....Beethoven track it would match the speed of the Embroidery Exercises and they would go so beautifully together.....if only...if only....

As someone who used to teach Excise to Music classes back in the 1980's, I could have died for something so useful as this 79 cents app called djay that enables you to compile and create a very personal music experience in your class.

Not only useful, I should say but pretty sleek to use too. It comprises of two simple turntables, that grab songs from your music selection and with a swish of a button, you mix them together at the right BPM (beats per minute) and for as long, or as short, as you wish.

Suddenly, your timing is just right and the class fuses together in a seamless wash of sound and energy.

If, like me, you like your classes to have a certain cohesion and are not particularly drawn to the sounds of passing ambulances or the sound of an improvised football match outside the window, then consider building your own audio experience with this superb app. To get you going, Ive included my playlist below for tonights session. Do send me your suggested playlists. Id love to expand mine.

Find out more about djay from there web site here.

My Playlist for tonights 1.5 hrs class : (Extended Mixes via djay)

Warm up and Partner Work
Walk on the Wild Side: Cafe Mambo Ibiza 2007
Trajabone: Ismael Lo
Registran : Cafe India Lounge. Nelson
Endless Road: Rendezvous Lounge.

Empty Hand Form and Sword Work
Doves: Firesuite
Coldplay: Fix You
Erik Satie: Trois Gymnopedie
Claude Challe: Soulffrance

Soft Exercises and Chi-Gung.
Indian Summer: Sweet Dreams
Sand: Riccardo Eberspacher
Charles Francois Gounod: Ava maria
Schnee-weiss: Francesco Martini

Offer on Tai Chi Books

2012-01-10T11:54:00.000+01:00

2 Great Reasons to Grab a Paperback Copy Today

Not keen on the Digital Reading Trends?
Have no fear, the Bean Curd Boxer is offering a special deal on the paperback versions of these two essential books.

1. To Celebrate the release this month of the Paperback version of 50 Essential Questions and Answers on Tai Chi (previously only available as an e-book) you can grab an extra ebook if you order soon.

The Paperback version - comes with 45 illustrations - can be delivered directly to your door from Amazon UK or USA.

2. I will send a free copy of the classic PDF e-book: Images, Names and Postures of the Tai Chi Short Form. This unique e-book has just been updated and serves as an excellent visual aid when reading 50 Questions and is particularly helpful when beginning a new class of Tai Chi. It runs through every posture of the short form, using images, quotes and pointers to give you a real feel for the moves of Tai Chi.

How to get your free ebook.
Just subscribe to this blog in the box at the right of this panel. Then....
Drop me a line at teapotmonk(at)gmail(dot)com and Ill drop a copy in the electronic post for you.

And as a subscriber, you will get notices and updates when more videos are released , when the weekly podcast is published and when other free stuff becomes available.

And.....yes its valid for Bean Curd Boxing too.

This offer is also available for anyone who orders the paperback of The Manual of Bean Curd Boxing from here. Just send me a confirmation email and I will send you back the PDF.

In Search of an Authentic Voice: 10 Questions for Anthony Guilbert

2012-01-04T17:25:00.000+01:00

In this series of Interviews with 21st century warriors, I am indebted this week to a man who, through his inspirational writings and explorative publishing skills has managed to bring together a broad camp of thinkers, writers and teachers to the on-line journal Into Mountains Over Streams. (IMOS).

Together with a strong Twitter and FaceBook pressence, IMOS has been steadily pushing back the barriers for the intertnal arts, drawing practioners and theorists together to debate some of the most topical and undying debates about practice, about authenticity and about application.

This week I interview the man behind IMOS, the eclectic Anthony Guilbert: publisher, lecturer and writer. I ask him just 10 Questions. The answers...were thoughtful, provocative and...well, you´ll just have to read them for yourselves.

Grab a coffee, turn off the mobile and put your feet-up for 10 mins. Savor the moment.

1. Who is Anthony Guilbert?

When my grandmother was alive, every once in awhile, she would bring up the time I got lost on Easter Sunday. I was nine or maybe ten years old, just starting to understand myself as a writer and wandered off Easter Sunday to go for a hike.

The forest surrounding my grandparent’s home was considerably un-developed and I loved to get lost there, just wandering, imagining new worlds waiting beyond the next rise in the tree line.

This particular morning I made my way to cliffs that overlooked Long Island Sound. I sat there; my feet dangling off the edge, staring out at the sea, just jotting down ideas in a small spiral note pad. Getting up from the edge, I lost my balance and fell off the cliff. I remember the bouncing more than anything, trying to grab hold of branches and roots, and terribly cutting my hand on the way down. When I finally reached the beach, I think I was more shocked than afraid. My hands were bleeding; and I had lost one shoe on the way down.

I remember standing on that beach for quite awhile, not knowing how to get home. I’d never realized there was a difference between ‘getting lost’ and ‘being lost.’ My young mind seemed to think writing the word ‘lost’ in the sand was a good idea. Then with a broken pencil, I wrote the word ‘home’ in that small spiral notebook, drew an arrow next to it, and began walking. The rest of the morning I wandered down the beach making a map and notes about what I discovered, until I found a road. I walked up the road and ran into my grandparent’s neighbours who were out for a stroll with their dog. The neighbors walked me back to my grandparents house.

When I showed up at home four hours late, covered with dirt and bleeding, my family was not very interested in my adventures. I remember my grandmother crying and my grandfather gave a bottle of red wine to the neighbors.

I’m bring this up this anecdote because I’m not sure that the adult “Anthony Guilbert” is much different from that young man on the beach. Anthony Guilbert is a man, who stumbled and got lost in the world, with a notebook.

2. With something approaching 30,000 visits a month, IMOS has a considerable reach into the online internal arts community. Other sites promote forums "to cultivate a dialogue among the world’s practitioners.” Why has IMOS chosen the journal format and in what way do you see this format as more appropriate in cultivating such a dialogue?

I don’t know that IMOS’s format is more appropriate than any other site’s. When I got the idea for the journal, it was more about filling a void I found in the media. All I was trying to do was create a journal I would enjoy reading. Had there been a good journal online, had I found something to read the first time I went looking, I don’t think I would have ever started this project.

That said, I did consider building a forum into the structure of IMOS. But, there are so many good forums already that I felt I was trying to re-create the wheel. Forums like “Rum Soaked Fist,” “The Tao Bums,” “Empty Flower,” and “Tea House,” do such a great job, why compete?

What has started to happen is that these forums and IMOS have become symbiotic. Articles from IMOS have been discussed in these forums, and when possible IMOS links back to their threads.

The way I see it, communities form around many different things: teachers, traditions, goals, needs. Trying to create a global dialogue is really about trying to thread all of these different communities together. That’s not going to happen in any one format or through any one site. People are diverse, it will take a diversity of formats to connect us all.

3. Some people argue that Tai Chi and Qigong developed in response to the conditions and needs of a certain time and place. It is also argued that Qigong and Tai Chi are experiencing a renaissance right now. If we accept these statements, what questions are these disciplines attempting to answer in the 21st Century?

Well, I have some very specific beliefs about that.

First, lets talk about Qigong as the mother of Chinese internal arts. Almost all scholars will tell you that Qigong

can be traced back to Neolithic Indo-Sino shamanism.

They refer to images found on clay vessels as “meditative practices and gymnastic exercises,” but because of its connection to shamanism they fail to put Qigong in its proper context as a transformative art.

Mircea Eliade’s classic text ‘Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy,’ sets in motion that common understanding of the shaman as not just healers, but magicians, travelers into the spirit world; and in some cultures the first warriors, sent to the Earth to defend humanity against demons.

To achieve these abilities, shaman underwent an initiation and apprenticeship where they were taught how to cultivate themselves. These early Chinese shaman were living Emerson’s adage: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Today we call the trail they left, Qigong.

All throughout the history of Qigong, you see that its primary function has been to transform a practitioner into something new. In the martial world, it has been about being a better warrior, in the medical world – about turning a person into a healer. Everywhere you look, people are using these arts to transform themselves. The pinnacle of this process is found in the ancient Taoist who sought immortality, the ultimate transformation.

So for me the question internal arts answer, is the same question they’ve always answered: “What can I become?”

4. In "This Longing", your fourth published work, you describe an ideal state as that of living fully in the world without becoming entangled in it. Some critics may say that IMOS reflects this by always walking a middle road, always keeping at an editorial distance from your contributors. Would this be a fair comment?

In the introduction to ‘This Longing,’ I expounded on my concept of “the world-lover” as being in the spirit of Chuang Tzu’s “Zhenren” –the true human. The full sentence read: “They celebrate life, live fully in the world, without becoming entangled in it, experience reality not as an anthology of experiences, but as an infinite web of experience.” Its intention is to illustrate a state of non-attachment, but not avoidance. The idea is to experience, to appreciate, to enjoy, and not possess the world.

This translates into IMOS as an appreciation of and respect for diversity. The Qigong/Taiji community is vast, and very, very, diverse. IMOS’s editorial policy doesn't acknowledge any one school, tradition, lineage, belief or idea as more authentic, or more valid than any other. Together, all these voices, differences of opinion, ways of knowing, create the tapestry that is ‘the world’ Qigong/Taiji community.

In this way, I have enfolded my practice into the production of the journal. I seek out differing opinions, and foster dialogue among opposing ideas. I am more interested in authentic voices asking enduring questions, then dogmas or politics.

IMOS’s growing collection of articles debating Taiji as a martial art or health art is a perfect example of this. My personal belief is that these are transformational arts that foster a true Emersonian sense of self-reliance, and in my classes, that’s how I teach them. Now, should that be IMOS’s position as well? I don’t think so. If IMOS is to achieve its goals, its position must be that of “no position.”

Let me get back to your original question: I think your assessment is true, I do maintain a distance from the editorial content of the journal, but I wouldn’t say the journal is walking the middle road. It aspires to objectivity. This is what makes IMOS a journal. If it was more subjective, it would be a blog.

5. IMOS is a digital Journal. It breathes and lives a digital world. To what extent do such digital communities embrace us as global citizens or simply trivialize our relationships, reducing them to anonymous comments, tweets or tagged photos, and how can editors leverage such content to move such communities in one or other direction?

My first response would be to insist that I am not trying to move the community in any direction . . . but that’s not exactly true.

So, I’d like to answer your question in terms of novelty theory.

Although it was psychedelic philosopher Terence McKenna who first introduced me to the idea of ‘novelty’ as an area of study, it is Alfred North Whitehead who anchors my understanding. Whitehead perceived novelty (the state of being new & original) as the ingression of creativity into conformity. He believed everything that lives is creatively advancing into novelty, and that is why the progress of the world has given us such an incredible variety of species. Humanity consciously lives in the midst of a diversity and plurality that continually, creatively, advances into more diversity, plurality, and novelty.

‘Novelty Theory’ greatly informs my understanding of ‘global citizenry.’ The ‘global citizen’ is a point of novelty, it has never existed; it’s a completely new identity for humanity, the scope of which has not yet matured. Digital communities are the preschools of this new identity. The ubiquitous nature of the online community is what informs its ‘global’ element. That I can read an article from an Englishman living in Spain about elements of Chinese culture, and take that information, put it into use 8000 miles away in Boulder, Colorado, at the foothills of the US Rocky Mountains, gives new depth and power to the meaning of community.

Digital Qigong/Taiji communities, like the one developing around IMOS, can be either a source of inspiration, or completely trivial. When you are looking at the novelty of the thing, you have to realize both potentials are possible. Which possibility becomes manifest is a matter of the users intention, not the medium. If a person is in the habit of trivializing relationships, I don’t see how the context of the community would make a difference.

My advice to other editors, and those involved in facilitating online communities, would be leverage your energies toward creating novelty. If you really want to support your community; that is were you should focus your energy. The only codicil I would offer is to keep in mind that communities are organic. Don’t try to control the growth, just foster it. In the end, the heart of the community will always manifest itself.

6. Is IMOS´s content contributing or alleviating the tendency for Information Overload?

If you read everything IMOS publishes, plus whatever other journals you follow - and that’s all you do - then I’d say it won’t be long before you suffer from information overload. IMOS publishes eight good to exceptional articles a month. If you consume what you have an interest in, allow it to inform your practice, and come back when you have need; I’d say that is a healthy use of your time and mine.

Although, overload isn’t just connected to web-based information. There are practitioners who read book after book, take workshop after workshop, go on retreat after retreat, and never take any time to sit and be alone with their practice. Its one of the drawbacks to living in an information based culture; we tend to value the information over the experience.

Though I hate to say it; I would tell our readers to read less and practice more. What can be learned from an honest moment of practice could fill many more volumes.

7. In an age of cultural homegenisation, rampant consumerism and expiring natural resources, how can we aspire to live as authentic human beings...to live intimately in this world?

For me, being authentic is about having a sense of my potential outside of the confines of my social identity. Who am I, once I dispense with the social program.

The ‘social program’ is all about language and experience. Words like American, teacher, male, human, mammal, & so on . . . These are all descriptions; words that come with a predefined meanings. When we start to form our cultural identity, we nest, these and many other words in our psyche. They become the boundaries of who we believe we are. And, these beliefs limit our experience of ourselves.

Aspiring to an authentic humanity is about moving beyond the cultural programming. Getting to an experience of self that is beyond words, the ineffable self. Terrence McKenna refers to this as erasing the cultural operating system. I love that metaphor.

Qigong is a great practice for gently erasing our cultural programming. Yes, it improves health, reduces stress, and has a whole slew of other benefits, but those are just side effects of the transformative nature of the practice. When practiced as a mindfulness art it brings us into greater awareness of ourselves, of our bodies, and beyond. The body is our first awareness, a pre-cultural awareness, and the key to our authentic nature. Through it we can discover ourselves as emotions, perceptions, energy, and eventually as expressions of . . . I’ll stop there. It’s up to the individual to define that experience for themselves.

So, I’d say practice. I’m partial to Qigong, but that’s just a preference, any internal art that builds awareness of self will get you there. It’ll take time, but all the best things do. There are faster ways to cleanse your cultural programming. McKenna has a decade of lectures floating around the internet on boundary dissolution. He would suggest 6 hours and a “heroic dose” of psilocybin, or for a faster cleanse, you can go right for the DMT. I think getting there with Qigong practice allows me to own the experience. It’s a product of my own efforts, not an additive. I’m not so provincial that I don’t recognize that many cultures have effectively used these substances as tools. My argument is that in western culture there is something to be said for the sense of self-responsibility, and self-reliance transformative practices like Qigong afford their practitioner.

And intimacy . . . It has been my experience that authentic intimacy manifests from a deep sense self-reliance. If you think about it, our sense of intimacy is often distorted, and fouled, by our stresses, our fears, our insecurities; all manifesting in our need to control and possess. True intimacy requires us to give not take, to share, to be partners with the world, not consumers. We cannot be truly intimate until we take possession of ourselves: our minds, our bodies, our spirits. When we are in possession of our selves, the world is a very intimate place.

8. Outside your home, you see a social protest underway. People fighting for better conditions, rights and transparency in political and social institutions. You see clouds of tear gas, you hear the thud of batons on skulls and you wonder how you should respond. You are, after all, trained in peaceful ways and you feel an impulse to join with them, to add your energy to the universal shift in consciousness but . . . its also time for your meditation class to start, and tonight you remember there was a special session on spiral chanting for World Harmony, to be Skyped live over the internet. You also promised to pick up a new pack of Dove incense sticks on route. You grind your teeth and ponder. What to do?

All joking aside, you are asking a very difficult question.

If we wait until the police or armed forces are engaging citizens to get involved, then there will be very few options for us. We will either be openly fighting or tending to the injured. Although there is an opportunity for both Buddhist & Taoist practice in those situations, I think we will all be morally guilty if we let the current situation deteriorate into an all-out police action.

If we are practicing correctly, dedicating our hearts and minds to the problems, I think there are other less violent paths we can take.

Lets look at the problem like this: there exists, not a group of people, but a way of thinking that creates the suffering in the world. This ‘mindset’ is a very astute student of cause and effect. It can predict what a citizenry under pressure will do. We’re going to take to the streets and hope that our solidarity will somehow force the authorities to do what we want. But, they won’t. They posses a mindset, and a culture, that doesn’t have to. They have a solution in place for what they expect us to do. And, they are just waiting for us to fulfill their expectations. In this equation, we are not players; we are pawns.

The answer is to do what is unexpected, to do what hasn’t been accounted for. We need to solve the problems that face the world ourselves, not beg others to do it for us. That is the simple answer that avoids many of us. If you want to end starvation & hunger; simply feed someone. If you do this with clear intention, conviction, and purpose, you’ll become an example for others. If others follow your example, then you have an action.

By creating such actions, we achieve two things: we ease the problem of human suffering; and we make the ideas we stand against irrelevant. That is the battle we face, how to make these old ways of thinking about the world irrelevant. Because once we do, entropy will take over, and these unsustainable systems will collapse naturally.

...But what would you say to those that claim that all "participation in social struggle" is in contravention to the non-interventionist philosophy of the Tao?

You know, the ‘Western World’ has a bad habit of over romanticizing the ‘East.’ The idea that protest and rebellion are not part of Taoist tradition, and that historical Taoist were all wandering monks, or monastics is simply an ignorance of history.

During the Han Dynasty, the ‘Way of Supreme Peace’ Taoist sect lead the ‘Yellow Scarves Rebellion’ against the forces of the emperor. This sect “taught the principles of equal rights of all peoples and equal distribution of land.” They saw the harshness of the peasant’s life, who were “often abused by the local government, overburdened and hungry due to the heavy taxes that were levied upon them,” and were moved to act.

‘The Yellow Scarves’ was followed by the ‘Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion.’ This rebellion was lead by Zhang Lu, the grandson of Taoist healer Zhang Daoling, leader of the ‘Yellow Scarves.’ And these were followed by the more popular ‘Taping Rebellion’ of the 18th century, and the ‘Boxer’s Rebellion’ at the beginning on the 20^th century.

As you can see, the Taoist involvement in social action actually precedes the popular Buddhist movements. Any non-interventionist beliefs held by modern practitioners are simply not supported by Taoist history or text. In the writings of Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu we find the inspiration for both self-cultivation and social action.

Having done the research on this, I could go on. But in the end it’s simply a matter of choice. It’s like that song by the ‘Isley Brothers’ says: “It's your thing . . . do what you wanna do . . . I can't tell you, who to sock it to.”

...So where do you stand when social injustice arises? Linked arm in arm with the protestors, or chanting for peace in the incense filled mediation class?

As I mentioned earlier, I am for creating situations that change the world, not ones that trigger people’s fears . . . especially people with guns. I’ve gone to protests, and I’m not sure they actually do anything.

Let me explain my position a bit. The last protest I went to was the 2002 World Economic Forum protest in New York City. It was amazing, there were over 10,000 people, and almost as many police. In the end it was very much like many other protests I’d been to, we marched, there were arrests, moving speeches by major activists and celebrities, and a few really great after parties. At the end of the night, I realized I had spent over $100 on transportation, food, books, and handouts to a few homeless. While I was riding the train back to my home on Long Island, starring at my empty wallet, I did a quick calculation. If everyone spent what I did, then the protesters just dumped at least $1,000,000 into the local economy, if not more.

Couldn’t that money have been spent directly engaging our issues? After that protest, I stopped asking for permission to be heard, for others to do my work for me, and I started trying to figure out how to generate energy that would directly engage the issues that touched me.

As for ‘sitting in incense filled meditation halls’ . . . I consider practice to be crucial, even more so during difficult times. Though, we shouldn’t forget that practice is only a tool. If you never use what you practice it will have no value. Your Tai Chi form has no inherent wisdom. Your experience of the form teaches you to be aware of the new possibilities it exposes. Wisdom comes from applying that awareness to the world.

So, I practice, and I seek to create change, that is my response to social injustice.

9. How do you find balance in the things you do? Poetry, writing, publishing, teaching....is this your secret to living a balanced life?

I don’t like the word ‘balance.’

Visualize a child’s seesaw. One child is up in the air, and the other is squat on the ground. The child who is off the ground is anticipating the descent. The one who is squat is thinking about when to push off and send his friend toward the ground. The most boring thing these children can experience would be in a state of balance. If they were to get stuck in the middle, both with their feet barely reaching the ground, they would be miserable.

Life is never in balance. Life is dynamic, always flowing, changing direction, transforming from one moment to the next. When things are in balance, they stop being stop living. The idea that “life should be balanced” is a meme branded into western culture by New Age/Self Help personalities like Wayne Dyer. Its not natural!

What I understand from my practice of Qigong & Taiji, and what I seek in my life is to cultivate “a state of dynamic equilibrium.”

This may be among the most practical things I learned from Vince Clemente, my first writing mentor. I have files in my office for each of my on going projects. Things like publishing, web design, and teaching require schedules, most other things don’t. I don’t try to balance these projects. What I do is flow from one to another. During those times when I get writer’s block, or I am just uninspired, I move on to the next project ––always flowing, always dynamic.

This way if my energy isn’t flowing in one direction, it most likely will flow in another. Its a lot like push-hands practice, push when you need to push, relax when you need to relax, follow the flow of energy gently moving things to their intended places.

10. The ‘mountain’ is a refuge in difficult times. Where is your mountain? In Publishing, Writing, Teaching or...?

Living here in Boulder, my mountain or mountains, are never more than 15 minutes away. I’ve spent most of my life living by the ocean, so my past seven years here in the American west has been an adjustment. The energy of the mountains, is much different than the ocean. Although Master Ge Hung used the word refuge, when he wrote, “the ‘mountain’ is a refuge in difficult times,” I’d say the mountains are more a sanctuary. Their energy is stable, consistent; and I’d say cradling.

But maybe that’s a conversation for another day . . .

There was a time when I would have said “I take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.” For all of my adolescence and at least half of my adult life, that was enough.

With nearly half a century under my belt, I’ve refined the idea of refuge to be less abstract. I take refuge in having purpose. Purpose gives all our philosophies, our dreams, and our creations, their meaning, and requires us to have a sense of individuality, a sense of intentionality, and to be relevant.

So my refuge, where I feel safest, is when I am involved in endeavors that have purpose. Cultivating a life with purpose, allows me to bring all of my beliefs and arts to bear on actual events.

You can follow Anthony Guilbert on Twitter @IMOS_Journal

Visit the FaceBook page of Into Mountains over Streams

Or better yet, visit the web journal here

To What End Are We Training?

2011-12-28T20:06:00.002+01:00

This is an important one. Grab a coffee, put your feet up and take out 10 minutes to read this. Then let me know what you think.

21st Century Warriors
One of the fundamental tenets of Bean Curd Boxing has Always been that of 21st Century application. In other words, to what end are we training ourselves and others? Is it really just about combat, alignment or spiritual awareness? Are we so focussed on our own internal and external states that we remain blind to the greater struggles around us? Or is there something, perhaps more subtle, more social we are striving for? Bean Curd Boxers have always begun with two fundamental principles:

What doesn't have a function and purpose here and now is of questionable value.
What doesn't have a value and function outside the cosy walls of the dojo, the temple or away from the incense burning shrine and the chants of the meditation class have - and lets be frank - little use other than to foster a detachment from the lives of others.

So it was with great interest that I read Anthony Guilbert's article over at IMOS on The Tao and Social Action. In this article, he and others try to see where we, as artists (Martial, Physical or Spiritual), stand in relation to the forces of social change.

Beneath this question lies another too: What role does any of us have, as fellow human beings in a world when The Good, the Bad and the Ugly are at war. What sides do we take an why?

Stereotypes
I´m not normally an advocate of stereotypes, but in this case I think there is room for an exception. All Martial Artists carry an interesting stereotype in popular culture, people who rectify wrongdoings, who uphold principle over profit, and fight for equality, justice and an end to corruption where they see it. It is a difficult image to upkeep. More difficult so, if your school, online business or global strategy is implicated in the maintainence of that order.

So before shooting off to read the article, I´d like to tell you two short stories about this country I have chosen to live in, because I believe that history has a tendency to repeat itself. A strong tendency.

Story 1. The Years of the First Republic
In the 1930's, during 9 turbulent years, Spain went from an Autocratic Monarchy to a Left-wing Republic. The country shifted direction to become one of the most progressive regimes in the world, with religious, electoral, educational and personal freedoms unseen elsewhere. But then, the forces of reaction gathered, aided and abetted by international interests, and the country was plunged into civil war and ultimately 40 years of fascism. The people switched from from burning churches to burning poets and consequently the winning forces chose to extinguish not just the opposition, but freedom, diversity, plurality,reconciliation and hope.

Story 2. The Last Few Years
In the last 4 years we have seen the country swing radically from left to right, as the economy sinks into recession, unemployment rises higher than in any other EEC country, wages rise at only half the rate of inflation, and corruption appear endemic in local town halls, government offices, banks and even amongst the monarchy.

In March this year the Indignados movement (Occupy) took to the streets claiming that the whole fabric was infected. Both Political Parties were equally blind to the needs of 21st Century dwellers. Both parties were subservient to the economic interests that maintain the injustice and inequlaity that has plunged the country once more into difficult times. The Indignados displayed to the world how resistance could be organised effectively, democratically and with transparency in the 21st century. Since that moment, replicate movements has spread across the world.

But here, last month a Conservative government was elected with the biggest majority seen in the history of democracy. A Right-Wing government that has pledged to take austerity to its absolute limits, to do whatever it takes to prop up the existing order, to restore the battered marketplace and return credibility to an ideologically bankrupt political and (un)representative system.

So the question is...what should we be doing?
Sparring? Pushing Hands? Quoting excerpts from the Tao of Pooh to the establishment? (I love the book, but come on, it has its limits). Concentrating globally on our Tan Tien?

Do we all have such a vested interest in maintaining this Theme-Park existence - or is it is simply that we feel more comfortable chanting for change rather than forging it?

Forging Change
If, as 21st Century Warriors we are not actively engaging in, and fighting for greater social participation, a more representative voting system, an economy founded on sustainable trades and goods, and a market and education system centered on meaningful work, rather than simply training for sales or the service industry..then we have missed out what Life...Life as an integral part of a Human Society...is all about. And worse still, we are creating precedents for further generations.

But, I have hope. Because other precedents have been set. Struggles that may have been lost militarily, but ideologically they won a series of glorious victories. For where memory has not been eradicated by excessive hours of X-Box or Reality TV, stories still emerge from the grandparents of the Indignados. Stories of collective action, popular democracy, dignified labour and participatory elections. Stories from the Republican Warriors of the 1930´s.

History can, and does move in circles.
The only question is what role do you choose to play in it?

Go visit IMOS. It's well worth a read. But don't just read it. Discuss it. Tweet it. Push hands with it if you like, spar with it, teach it diaphragm breathing if it will make you feel better. But Share it.

And then take it out onto the street, into the training halls and temples and shout it out loudly, so that the very fabric of this world shudders with apprehension as to the power we wield when we stand together and speak in one voice.

Twitter BeanCurdBoxer

The Illusion of Certainty: How to Keep Your Brain awake in the Presence of Experts

2011-12-19T17:41:00.001+01:00

You are most certainly an expert. You most certainly have an opinion on most issues. You can answer most questions, display most techniques and reassure most students that - amongst all the schools to have chosen from - they have chosen the best.

The problem is that experts are not the best people to ask. And as for certainty, it is at best a dangerous card to play, at worst an illusion.

Ask Yourself Something
Why did your students honestly choose your class? Did they fall for the advertising slogan? Succumbed to the barrage of Internet opinion? Enrolled for the free Chinese slippers or the Donnie Yen DVD on offer this month?

How many - and lets be honest here - had tried the other schools with your full blessing and encouragment, and after a period of study with each, came to the conclusion that yours was the school for them?

Hopefully everyone.

I suspect almost no-one.

So why are students subjected to the opinions of experts rather actively encouraged to go forth, and learn from their own experiences?

30 years ago
Picture this: It's the early 1980's and I'm in a new class of Tai Chi in the center of London. When The instructor walks over to correct my posture he asks if I have studied Tai Chi elsewhere. I´m learning Yang Style at the same time, I admit. I can't hide it. My posture speaks too loud. He admonishes me with a stern look, tuts and wags a finger in my face. It is not possible to learn another style at the same time, he explains without giving more details. I will have to choose. His style or Yang.

Such an attitude is grounded in the belief that we are incapable of learning two distinct disciplines at the same time. And were we to try, then confusion of identity, style and superficiality of learning would be the only result.

Hang on though! What about other disciplines?
At University I studied I.T as part of a Humanities degree, alongside many language students - people who would study Spanish in the morning for example, and French in the afternoon. Did the teachers complain of dilution of their subject material? Did they complain of students being asked questions in French and giving answers in Spanish? Did the students give up 'confused' after a few months because they couldn't distinguish between the two similar but separate disciplines?

No, of course not

Back to the Masters of Certainty
You see, the problem with masters, is that they think they are experts, and the problems with experts is that they suffer from the illusion of certainty.

Did you know that Doctors mis-diagnose 4 out of every 10 times?

And what about financial experts? Haven't we been following their advice for the last decade, precisely to avoid the financial mess the world is in right now?

Should we not be a little skeptical at least of the opinions of Experts?

In the video I have linked to below, Noreena Hertz recounts an experiment whereby volunteers had their brains scanned whilst listening to 'experts' talk on a subject. Whilst the experts spoke, the independent decision-making part of the brain pretty much turned itself off. In other words, our critical faculties closed down.

She proposes a 3 point plan to challenge the Experts and for us not to surrender our critical thinking and power.

First challenge experts opinions.
Second, try to create the space for dissent and divergent views as their propagation makes us all a lot smarter.
Thirdly, get comfortable with uncertainty. I dealt with this subject in the Manual of Bean Curd Boxing and the Confirmation Bias.

In short, learn to cut through the spiel. Probe. Ask around. Inform yourself. Learn to Turn your Brain back on in the presence of an Expert.

Rebel against 'informed opinion '
Rebel against your own point of view.

Dont settle for expertise. Become a rebel and shake up the foundations that stagnate real knowledge.

Watch the Noreena video here.
Read the chapter on The Confirmation Bias here.

Dead Tree Version of 50 Questions Now Available.

2011-12-12T21:36:00.001+01:00

Just a quick note to commemorate the release of 50 Questions and Answers in paperback. It'll be available on Amazon in the new year, but right now it's out as an illustrated paperback on Lulu. See the link at the top right of this page.

So for everyone that doesn't have an ebook reader, nows the chance to grab a copy from Lulu. Which will make me very happy as I'm not at all sure what Amazon will do to it when they get their hands on it.

Enjoy. And let me know what you think.
Oh, and I believe if you buy from Lulu, you get the PDF version free too.

Horizons

2011-12-11T13:16:00.001+01:00

The worst sin that can be committed against the artist is to take him at his word, to see in his work a fulfillment instead of an horizon.

Henry Miller

Find More on Instagram: BeanCurdBoxer

Sometimes

2011-12-06T12:15:00.001+01:00

Sometimes
If you stand
on the bottom rail of a bridge
and lean over
to watch the river
slipping slowly away beneath you,
you will suddenly know
everything there is
to be known.

Sometimes.

The Way Of Teaching: Grab the E-Book

2011-12-02T16:45:00.001+01:00

At Last. It is Here.

The First in a series of Ebooks from the Teapotmonk.
This first book is aimed at the "Crazy and Foolish" ones.
It is aimed at all those that teach, that create and stimulate debate. To all those that choose to laugh and play in the face of adversary.

I can't promise it will be here forever. But I will keep it publicly available until Tuesday 6th December. So grab a copy while you can. Share it on Twitter, FB or however you see fit.

Download the epub version for free here.

Download the PDF version for free here.

Enjoy. Provoke Feedback. Distribute.

Get it Tomorrow

2011-12-01T13:05:00.001+01:00

The Way of Teaching will be available from tomorrow (Friday) afternoon. But only for a few days. So grab it while you can. If you haven't signed up for email notifications then make sure you do, so as not to miss out on this compact ebook.

And, let me know what you think. I'd appreciate it. It doesn't have as many pictures as others Ive written, but thats so we can concentrate on the ideas.

Are you sitting tightly in your boat? Expect stormy weather.

Free ePub Coming This Week

2011-11-28T12:14:00.001+01:00

Something is in the air. Something that may be of interest to a few people out there. If you are a teacher, a student or a practitioner of the arts then you may just want to make a note. If you can wait a day or two that is.

The first ePub book on The Way of Teaching.

It's short, just 50 odd pages, but packed with insights and inspirational approaches to teaching. Based on a series of posts and discussions from the Bean Curd Boxer, it takes the basic ideas of how and why we teach and compiles them in a contemporary form that, hopefully, will encourage debate and technique amongst those that read it.

And, did I mention that it's free?

Free to pass on, free to copy, free to email to friends and free to print out and share.

Some ideas just need sharing. Come back during the week for directions as to how to get the new ePub. Or better still, sign up for email updates, and then you will get notified the moment it is released. Its only available for a short while, so grab it while you can.

What is an ePub?
Good question! An ePub is just an open file format for book files on the net. As opposed to a PDF, an ePub will change font size according to the device it is read on. You can even change the Fonts if you prefer. Most tablets, smart phones and all laptops will be able to read an ePub file. Other than the Kindle that is. That brings me to the next question.

PDF
But what if you don't have an ePub reader? What if you only have a kindle? Ok, ok Im listening. I´ll release a PDF version too. But don't forget to sign up for notification. It won't be available for ever.

How LONG Have You been Practising? Two Problems with the Notion of Time in Teaching

2011-11-21T06:05:00.001+01:00

How many times have you been asked variations of this question in life? How long have you been working here? How long have you know that person? How long have you been practisng that style?

Time, it seems, speaks louder than words. But this, is just a myth. In fact its myth number 3 in my Tai Chi Myth Busting Series. And this week we are focusing on Two Problems with Time.

Problem Number 1
Imagine you have the choice of working with three different teachers. The first says he has been practising for over 25 years, the second says just 5 and the last just 2 years.

Which one should you train with?

If your gut response is to go with 25 then you need to think again. What if, during those 25 years he had only practised for a couple of hours a month? Meanwhile the person who states he has trained for 5 years has been practising for 8 hours a day every day of the year (though not always with much enthusiasm). Now who do you pick?
Before you decide, take into account that the person with just 2 years of training has also been training hard, for she has been giving her whole focus and concentration on not just the techniques but also how to apply them, incorporate them and how to teach others too.

So how useful is an evaluation based on 'time' when numbers alone cannot tell us anything about the quality of the moment? And if it can't tell us anything about the quality of the moment, the richness of an experience or even the end-point of many hours of practice, then why mention TIME at all? Why obsess over who has studied more years than someone else?

The answer is simple: Because Time, like Lineage and Style carry mythological weight. They speak louder than the truth of experience and by perpetuating these myths - by pitching in with replies like...
"Me...70 years I was studying with Lao Tsu - granted he was still in his mothers womb but we communicated via yarrow sticks - and after that, I spent the next 32 years studying with Bruce lee´s dog before moving onto ...." then we are merely adding to the perpetuation of meaningless myths.

The Question of Time is unhelpful because it misses the point of what makes practice important. It is also misleading because it presumes knowledge and skill and apptitude, when this is not always the case.

Problem Number 2
Let me give you another example. One practitioner of tai chi that has been studying the art for over 15 years, another for just over a year.

Both students go to a local class and when the teacher seeks help on showing a move, an application or simply to get someone to go through the beginning of the form with a newcomer, who do you think she picks?

Yeah that's right -the guy who's been doing it for just a year. But why?

That's simple. Many people who have been practising for a long time, think of their practise in terms of duration. The accumulation of years alone is sufficient to embody their teaching with weight and substance. The problem is that they no longer convey passion. Nor can they easily empathize with a newcomer: their awkwardness, they self-consciousness, their fumbling limbs and clumsy first steps.

But the first year student still can.

And Finally, the first year student is more useful because she doesn't pretend to know all the answers. She is still open to investigation and enquiry.

This makes for a healthy atmosphere in class, it encourages everyone to think they have something valuable to share and helps erode the myth of Time as the most important criteria in teaching.

For more Myth Busting with the Teapotmonk see: The Myth of Multi-tasking and The Myth of the Short-Cut

Focus, Focus, Focus: The Art of Living Effectively

2011-11-08T11:19:00.001+01:00

The Myth of Multi-tasking
I remember not that long ago, sitting in front of my newly acquired 386 computer with a whopping 40MB hard drive, and with a child-like grin on my face thinking to myself: With this hot machine I will be able to do so many things at the same time, my productivity will increase tenfold.

A quarter of a century later, surrounded by technology 24 hours a day, I still succumb to the myth of multi-tasking - with a smartphone in one hand, and a tablet in another I rush through task after task, taking delight in ticking off projects and todo´s - only to replace them of course with even longer lists and endless new ideas to take up at some distant vague date.

Technology promised efficiency and we, interpreted that promise as the ability to multi-task. However, compared to uni-tasking, multi-tasking results in a 25% increase in time to complete the same work.

What went wrong and why do we still embrace the myth?

Trying to do two things at the same time may look impressive, but generally doesn't work. What happens instead is that we switch focus from one task to another and then switch back. And in the course of switching, we need to return to our previous state and it is this that makes the whole multi-tasking business so ineffective. Think of reading several books at the same time (something Im prone to do). I believe I am pushing everything foreword slowly, when in effect, I´m having to re-read previous chapters in order to remember where I was with each book.

In teaching, we sometimes get caught up in a similar mess. Trying to offer too much at the same time leaves students confused and overwhelmed. But as teachers, we grow tired of the slow pace, the repeated postures and the all too familiar class structure, so we push on and introduce other ideas to vary the classroom structure. Or we encourage students to think about breath, diaphragm movements, joint positioning, grounding and imagery all together so they get an ¨taste¨of the real thing.

What happens? Its all too much, techniques get watered down, concentration on the singular task gets lost resulting in general confusion. Learning simple things takes longer and self-confidence drops.

Single-task activities on the other hand, teach us to focus, to stay focused and to fight the distractions of everyday life that continue to invade our every moments.

Tai Chi, like many arts, can teach us the perils of multi-tasking. But the problem, lies not with the art or the technology, but with us.

For the complete guide to challenging the Myths of Multi-tasking read the Manual of Bean Curd Boxing